1. Technical Field
This invention relates to beverage container carriers and, more particularly, to a rotatable beverage container carrier for providing users with a convenient and easy way to transport their water bottles and the like.
2. Prior Art
In few areas do Americans' tastes vary as widely as in their choice of a favorite beverage. Once they have reached the point where milk is not the only game in town, the available choices provide an almost unending assortment of drinks, with each category containing a plethora of selections. From frothy cappuccinos and herbal teas to citrus-tinged colas and fruity combination juices featuring apple and papaya, there is sure to be a tasty beverage for anyone. In addition to providing a refreshing liquid to accentuate a meal or a needed boost of energy in the mornings, beverages also serve a practical and healthy purpose.
In particular, human survival depends on drinking water. Water is necessary for the digestion and absorption of food, helps maintain proper muscle tone, supplies oxygen and nutrients to the cell, rids the body of wastes, and serves as a natural air conditioning system. Health officials emphasize the importance of drinking at least eight glasses of clean water each and every day to maintain good health. Perhaps it is most important for those who regularly participate in some form of exercise or sporting activity to drink plenty of water while exerting themselves in such a manner. While working out, the body expunges its moisture through perspiration, so it is especially important to avoid dehydration by having water or other liquid within reach at all times.
While keeping the body hydrated when exercising is vital, finding a way to conveniently hold on to a container of water when active can be daunting and frustrating. As many consumers can attest, carrying around a heavy, bulky water bottle or other beverage container while running or working out at the gym is, quite often, simply not practical. Having to utilize the entire hand in order to maintain a firm grip on the beverage, active persons are unable to appropriate that hand to carry other items that may be needed when the other hand is full, such as keys, a cell phone, or a purse. Wishing to be unencumbered, these consumers may opt to simply discard the beverage container, wasting expensive, unused beverage portions and denying their bodies much needed hydration.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,218 to Falcaro discloses a device for carrying a bottle of liquid over a shoulder consisting of a flat base with a first portion oval shaped and a second portion formed with a “U” shaped hole having a larger opening beginning at the outer edge and diminishing in size towards the middle of the base. The two ends each have a hole formed therein and a cord is strung through each of the end holes and joined with a clamp to form a continuous loop. Unfortunately, this prior art example does not prevent the cord from being tangled which causes unwanted pressure to build up in the bottle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,247 to Savine discloses a bottle holder that is adapted to engage the neck of a bottle below an external annular flange of said neck, especially for suspending a bottle by means of a cord to the neck of a person. The bottle holder comprises, in combination, a cord, and a ring segment-shaped collar member made from an elastic material and comprising a ring segment comprising at each of its ends means for guiding and releasably clamping said cord such that said collar member and said cord may be set in untightened state on a container neck and then be gripped around the neck by pulling said cord and maintain grip by said clamping means. Unfortunately, this prior art example does not provide a rotating mechanism that that allows the bottle to freely rotate without tangling the cord.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,626,333 to Levesque discloses a bottle-connector wherein the bottle-connector connects a bottle to an individual, back-pack or clothing. The bottle is of the type having a neck in which an annular groove or ridge is formed. The connector has a resilient O-ring having an opening in which the neck is received. A collar is provided for adjusting the opening to an effective size such that the O-ring is snugly accommodated in the groove where the bottle has a groove or to an effective size smaller than the outer diameter of said ridge where the bottle has a ridge such that the O-ring is securely connected to the bottle. The connector also has a rigid ring connected to the O-ring and a strap or clip for connecting the rigid ring to the individual or to his back-pack or clothing. Unfortunately, this prior art example does not provide a rotating mechanism that prevents the beverage from building unwanted pressure.
Accordingly, a need remains for an auxiliary beverage container handle in order to overcome the above-noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing an apparatus that is convenient and easy to use, is lightweight yet durable in design, is versatile in its applications, and provides users with a convenient means for carrying bottled water or any other desired beverage. By eliminating the need to use the whole hand to hold bulky, heavy water bottles and similar beverage containers while exercising or on the go, the present invention allows users to enjoy their favorite activities much less encumbered. In this manner, users are able to use this hand to carry other necessary items, such as keys, a wallet, or a gym bag. Since the apparatus effectively eases the transporting burden, the user will not be so quick to dispose of unfinished beverages simply in order to free their hand.